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Get Your Own Domain Name
Tuesday, May 19th, 2009
There is no reason for your organization to be using anything other than its own domain name. Do not use a subdomain under someone else’s domain. For example, if you are the Smith County Theater Company do not use smithcountytheater.example.com, you should register something like smithcountytheater.com. Similarly, do not let your site be stuck under someone else’s domain name in folders or directories. So avoid using your ISP’s (Internet service provider) hosting space with their domain name, such as at example.com/smithcountytheater.
Why should you not do these things? One reason is branding. You want your patrons, volunteers, donors and employees to remember you, not your ISP. Another reason is is flexibility. What if your ISP gets sold? Shuts down? Changes its name? Forgets to renew their registration? If any of those events occur, your site won’t be accessible. What if your ISP increases the price of web hosting significantly? If you change your ISP, your old URL won’t be valid any more, leading to confusion when people try to visit your site.
You can register the domain name of your choice at many places, starting at around $10 per year. Some places are even less expensive although watch the fine print. Avoid tying your domain registration into other services, such as web hosting itself, or your broadband connection. You want to be able to change your web host if there are problems, or if you find a better (significantly less expensive, more options, better tech support) plan elsewhere.
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